Converse Inc. opened its first Northern California location in San Francisco, the brand’s fifth inline location in the U.S. Located on Market Street in the heart of the Union Square Shopping District, the store boasts 8,200 square feet of selling floor and will be the brand’s largest retail space. The Market Street location offers the largest assortment of Converse footwear, apparel and accessories globally, along with Converse Customization, a unique and personalization process for designing one-of-a-kind Converse sneakers and clothing.
“Opening a retail store in San Francisco is a perfect fit for Converse, a city with a creative spirit similar to ours. We’re thrilled to offer local consumers an outlet to unleash their creativity and participate in our brand through our in-store customization and various music and art programs supported by the brand,” said Jonathan Tappan, General Merchandise Manager, Direct to Consumer for Converse.
The Converse Customization interactive retail experience allows individuals to screen-print their own designs or graphics selected from the Converse catalog on various styles of Converse footwear, apparel and accessories. Using iPads, customers can browse more than 150 Converse-curated graphics including designs that tie back to the San Francisco community, to create their own product by adding grommets, different colored shoe laces and more.
The store’s design pays tribute to the building’s original structure as seen through authentic and raw industrial elements including original concrete and tile throughout. The center staircase is located at the center of the store providing customers the opportunity to shop two floors of curated destinations for the All Star, Cons and Jack Purcell collections. The second floor will house women’s, kids and premium footwear collections, the latter of which will be located in a gallery-like space called the Ellis Room alongside the work of local artists. The Ellis Room also will host in-store music performances and events. A limited-edition Chuck Taylor All Star San Francisco collection with graphics that feature well-known local landmarks will be sold in store for $65.
The grand opening of the Converse San Francisco store was 10:00 a.m., June 28. The store’s operating hours will be Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
